Quarterfinals: Jin Okamoto vs. Peer Kröger

Alex Shvartsman

Of the three German players to advance into the single elimination rounds, Peer Kröger is certainly the representative of old-school. He was winning money on the Pro Tour likely before the other two discovered competitive Magic. To his credit are top 8 finishes at Pro Tour: Dallas and on home turf at Pro Tour: Mainz. This is a first Pro Tour top 8 for Okamoto, but he is no rookie with two Grand Prix top 8 finishes. Okamoto has come tantalizingly close to making Pro Tour top 8 twice before. He finished ninth in San Diego and 10th at worlds in Toronto, missing out on tiebreakers both times. This weekend he finally realized his dream. In fact, he was guaranteed a top 8 slot even after conceding in the last round of swiss to Dave Humpherys so the American could also make the top 8. Okamoto is now the fifth Japanese player to make a Pro Tour top 8.

Okamoto is actually at a significant advantage in this case. As per Kröger's own admission the matchup is almost a lost cause. He's got to try to win of course, but smart money is against him.

Okamoto cycled Renewed Faith, untapped, played a land and passed the turn. Kröger drew a fifth land – but it was a Barren Moor. He laid it and passed the turn, allowing Okamoto to cycle twice more before he could untap and finally cast Haunting Echoes. The one turn delay may have cost Kröger the game, because by the time he did cast his trump sorcery, Okamoto had the mana to Cunning Wish for a Circular Logic and cycle it via Compulsion to counter the threat.

Kröger was sitting on a pair of Stitch Together but there were only five cards in his graveyard. He drew a sixth land and actually cast Stitch Together without threshold to get back Visara, since he now had the mana to play it. In the meantime he had to contend with four Soldier tokens generated by a Decree. Okamoto made them bigger with Mirari's Wake. He used Circular Logic to counter Visara and attacked with his Soldiers. Kröger cast Stitch Together reanimating Visara and summoned a Doomed Necromancer. Okamoto had no responses, but at the end of that turn he cycled Decree to create 13 2/2 tokens. Kröger conceded the game in response.

Game 2

Kröger was off to a solid start as he cast Entomb on turn one putting a Symbiotic Wurm in his graveyard and then cast Burning Wish for Last Rites, holding several of his reanimation targets in hand. Problem is, he failed to play land three for five turns. He actually went on to discard several cards manually. In the meantime, Okamoto had all the time in the world. He used a Cunning Wish to find Krosan Reclamation – holding it as an answer to any potential reanimating of creatures Kröger might attempt. He then played a Mirari's Wake.

Kröger finally got his fourth land and cast Anger. After attacking for two, he sacrificed it to flash back Cabal Therapy. In response, Okamoto made 13 2/2 creatures once more, ending the second game.

Game 3

Kröger kept an average hand in the third game, but he was able to make it a lot better by playing a turn one Entomb for Undead Gladiator. He summoned a Doomed Necromancer next turn, with no objections from the Japanese player. On his fourth turn, Kröger discarded Symbiotic Wurm to return Gladiator and then tried to activate a Doomed Necromancer – but Okamoto was ready with a Stifle! The 2/2 creature ended up in the bin, without bringing back the Wurm.

When Kröger finally went for it, he started by casting Cabal Therapy, which Okamoto countered by hard-casting Circular Logic. He could have cycled it, but he only had two Islands in play and that would have left him without any defense against the German's next spell. Okamoto used Cunning Wish to get Krosan Reclamation, buying more time to prevent Kröger from getting a large man into play. Okamoto then laid Wake, doubling his mana supply.